Deputies arrest man accused of crashing stolen SUV

Roberto Ramirez, 18, faces charges of grand theft auto, reckless fleeing of an officer, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, resisting an officer without violence and no valid driver’s license.

CCSO

IMMOKALEE - An Immokalee man was arrested Wednesday and accused of driving away from a deputy and crashing a stolen SUV earlier this week.

Around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, a deputy stopped a 2001 Ford Explorer near the intersection of Immokalee Drive and Adams Avenue for speeding, according to an arrest report. While the deputy was on his radio talking to dispatch, the driver sped off in the Explorer, eventually hitting a fence and the side of a home at 705 Hendry St.

The driver and the passenger ran from the scene, and deputies later confirmed the SUV was stolen, reports said.

On Wednesday, deputies identified the driver as Roberto Ramirez, 18, and arrested him at 580 Oak Haven Circle, according to a report. Deputies said they found him with a stolen EBT card from the same woman who owned the SUV.

Ramirez, of the 100 block of White Way, faces charges of grand theft auto, reckless fleeing of an officer, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, resisting an officer without violence and no valid driver's license.